Women and Alcoholism: Counselling and Therapy.

Women are physically more susceptible than men to the effects of alcohol because of comparably lower body mass, higher fat content and hormonal differences.

Alcohol impairs your judgment and lowers your inhibitions. These effects can lead women to put themselves in socially inappropriate or even dangerous situations. Long-term alcoholism can also result in irreparable physical damage.

A counsellor, psychologist or therapist can assist alcoholic women to develop healthier alternative behaviours to drinking, and provide support on the road to sobriety.

What is the Progress of Alcoholism in Women?

Very often, women begin drinking when they are either teenagers or young adults. Initially, it can be a way to fit in, or to relieve nerves in social situations. However, women are more easily susceptible to the affects of alcohol because of lower body mass, hormonal and a higher body fat content as compared with men. Frequently, women do not realise that they are getting drunk, even after a few drinks, because their male counterparts are able to drink several drinks in a row and not experience the same effects.

Physically, the more often a woman drinks, the more her body chemistry adjusts to accommodate the intake of alcohol in her system. For women, this process can be unexpectedly fast and, as a result, women tend to become more quickly dependent on alcohol than men do.

What Happens if I Stop Drinking?

If you stop drinking, either because you have received treatment or have discovered a way to help yourself stop drinking without intervention, the disease goes into a recovery period. However, most individuals with any kind of addiction issue, whether it is alcohol, nicotine, cocaine or any other type of drug, are expected to relapse. The body craves whatever the substance of addiction is, and when we are emotionally vulnerable we are in danger of falling back into old habits of using.

What Happens if I Relapse and Start Drinking Again?

When relapse occurs, the body reacts as if there had been no gap in using, even if you have been clean and sober for years and years. The disease of alcoholism and addiction reappears with great intensity and damage to the liver and central nervous system occur as if there was never any period of recovery.

Binge Drinking and Women

While an occasional glass of wine with dinner or an evening cocktail from time to time may not be a problem, chronic daily alcohol intake can have severe and substantial repercussions for women’s health. Binge drinking among women has been steadily increasing in recent years, giving rise to concerns about the long-term physical and emotional effects of alcoholism.

What is Binge Drinking?

Binge drinking is the consumption of four or more alcoholic drinks within a short – two to three hours – period of time. Traditionally, it has been thought that binge drinking is an activity that is more common during teenage years and early adulthood, where partying with large amounts of alcohol tends to be more common than for older adults.

The Effect of Alcohol on our Inhibitions?

Inhibitions serve to protect us in many ways. Our inhibitions help us determine appropriate behaviours in social situations and allow us to maintain actions that are in alignment with our personal and cultural values. For example, we may personally believe that certain sexual activities should only occur in privacy and only among people who are in committed relationships. Alcohol, however, lowers our inhibitions and leads us to act in ways which we would never do whilst sober. Once intoxicated, women tend to be louder, more forthcoming, more flirtatious, inappropriate and more emotional than our sober selves would allow.

Why is Lowering of Inhibitions Dangerous?

Inhibitions protect us from socially awkward and inappropriate behaviour, by guiding the way we interact with our peers. Without those restrictions, we risk behaviour that might be inappropriate or even dangerous – we might flirt with our boss, tell a racist joke or go home with a stranger.

How Can Counselling Help with Alcoholism?

Women face challenges with alcoholism that are different from men because of the social and emotional associations we have with alcohol. Working with a professional counsellor, psychiatrist or therapist can help us understand the reasons we began drinking in the first place and what emotions were associated with our first drink.

Other issues that often are uncovered in the counselling process are family beliefs and patterns of alcohol or other drug use. Very often, we unconsciously continue family patterns of alcohol use and integrate them into our teen and adult experiences. Understanding these patterns allows us to make conscious choices about whether or not those patterns and beliefs serve us, and if we want to continue them.

How do I Find Help with Alcoholism and Drinking Problems?

If you or you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, a counsellor, psychologist or therapist may be able to help. To book a consultation with a qualified counsellor or to obtain further advice please contact Associated Counselors & Psychologists Sydney. Common mispellings and alternative search terms used to find this page include: Alchol Abuse; Women and Alchol; Alcoholism Therepy; Alcoholic Women Councilor; Counseling Women Alcholics; Alcohol Therepist; Alcholism Counciling; Alcohoilsm Psychologist; Sydnye Counseling; Women and Alcohol; Substance Abuse Alcohol; Bing Drinking, Lowering Inhibitions.

Women are physically more susceptible than men to the effects of alcohol because of comparably lower body mass, higher fat content and hormonal differences.

Alcohol impairs your judgment and lowers your inhibitions. These effects can lead women to put themselves in socially inappropriate or even dangerous situations. Long-term alcoholism can also result in irreparable physical damage.

A counsellor, psychologist or therapist can assist alcoholic women to develop healthier alternative behaviours to drinking, and provide support on the road to sobriety.

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